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Rumblings xtra: Items that didn't make print edition

By: Bob Hunter

The Columbus Dispatch - October 18, 2013 09:10 AM

The Grandview school board voted 5-0 this week to rename Grandview Heights Middle
School as Larry Larson Middle School, after the district’s long-time teacher, coach, athletic
director and camp counselor. Larson served as a radio reporter for WTVN after he retired.

Two days after Greg Oden had his first 5-on-5 workout with the Miami Heat the
former Ohio State star was held out of practice with swelling in his left knee. The injury-plagued
star hasn’t played in an NBA game in more than three seasons and the team and Oden has been
cautious about bringing him back too quickly. His return to contact work had created optimism that
he might play in a preseason game, but the swelling may change that.

"I was hoping it didn't (swell) but it did, but what
can I do about it?" Oden said. "Next thing to do is get (the swelling) back down and get out there
and figure out what I can do to not let it swell again."

The team’s trainers measures Oden's knees before and
after every workout to monitor any swelling.

"This has been three years for me, as long as it's no
surgery, it's OK," Oden said. "This is going to be a long season, I'm going to get there."

The critical analysis of Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton continued this week, even
with his 4-2 team leading the AFC North. Cincinnati coach Marvin Lewis said this week that he
believes that some of the comparisons that are made between Dalton and other NFL quarterbacks are
unfair.

"There's a couple different comparisons," Lewis said.
"Are you comparing Andy to Matt Ryan? Are you comparing Andy to Drew Brees? Aaron Rodgers? It
depends on who you want to compare him to. You know what I'm saying? Those latter two are a
different time frame. They sat around and watched for three years, four years and then they got an
opportunity."

Like Dalton, Ryan started right away when he was
drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008. Brees and former Bengals QB Carson Palmer sat the bench
when they were rookies and didn't start a game. Rodgers was on the bench three seasons until he
finally got an opportunity to start for the Packers.